The Fellowship of the Ring Plus One
by ElfWarrior
Summary: The one thing I feel the Fellowship has lacked is a heroine, so I rewrote FOTR, according to the movie script (the book would have taken too long) with Rynna. If you're really LOTR-obsessive, you'll probably like this. Rated for language. [COMPLETE]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Only Rynna Elenduarg is mine. Everybody else belongs to His Greatness J.R.R. Tolkien.

I wrote this when I was absolutely bored out of my mind, so it will not be the world's most interesting story. I had writer's block in the rest. Anyway, this story won't be terribly grand to those of you who, like me, can recite the whole movie from beginning to end (yes, I have done this, and I have a witness too if you don't believe me), but hey, doesn't matter so much. Rynna Elenduarg has two other stories written about her, both unpublished, and if enough people want to hear them, I might publish them.

This is a version of _The Fellowship of the Ring, according to the movie (cuz it'd take too long to do the book and I don't have the book memorized, but I've got the movie down completely), with one difference: We have TEN members for the Fellowship, and #10 is...a girl! And she's of a new race that I made up: the shapeshifters. If this rubs your strictly Tolkien-esque fur the wrong way, go read another story. Doesn't matter to me. This story starts in Bree, after Merry and Pippin have done their pint-bit._

The race of Shapeshifters live where they choose. They are mostly nomadic, but have a ruler who dwells within the forest of Ayolára. Sometimes this ruler is a king, sometimes a queen—the Shapeshifters do not care. Their society deems that men and women are equal, and they fight or rule or live as such. They are great friends of the Elves, all races, and sometimes interbreed with the Fair Folk. They are as immortal as the Elves, but less aloof.

"Those two have done nothin' but stare at you since we arrived."

Frodo glanced cautiously in the direction Sam was pointing. A rugged looking man, wrapped in a dark green cloak, was sitting in the corner smoking. Across from him was another cloaked figure, this one female. She wasn't smoking, not was she looking at her table companion. Her piercing silver eyes were focusing on Frodo.

The halfling looked away and stopped Barliman as the plump man passed. "'Scuse me. That pair in the corner—who are they?"

Barliman looked, and an expression of fear crossed his face. "He's one o' them Rangers. Dangerous folk they are, wanderin' the Wild. What 'is right name is, I've never heard, but round 'ere, he's known as Strider. An' her—she walked in here yesterday, an' he greeted her like an old friend. I heard him call her Rynna."

"Strider," Frodo murmured, absent-mindedly turning the Ring over and over in his fingers. It seemed to call to him, promising him everything he could ever want. "Baggins..." Time slowed. "Baggins..." Frodo became completely unaware of his surroundings. "Baggins..." All he had to do was slip on the Ring... "Baggins!"

"Baggins?" That voice was real, and it was Pippin's. What was he doing? "Sure I know a Baggins! He's right over there! Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side, and my fourth cousin three times removed—"

Frodo jumped up from the table and ran to his friend, who had obviously consumed one too many pints. "Pippin!"

"Steady on!" the other hobbit cried as Frodo pulled his arm.

Frodo fell heavily to the ground. The Ring, still in his hand, flew upwards. He reached out his hand to catch it—

—and it fell onto his outstretched finger.

They could sense it, so near, and yet so far, in the grasp of the halfling. They knew—

Ah! There it was! The foolish creature was wearing it!

The Riders spun their mounts around and raced for Bree.

The room blurred around Frodo. He stood shakily. There was something behind him. He turned around. It was a huge, flaming eye!

"You cannot hide," a deep, grating voice said. "I see you!"

Frodo raised his arms in a futile attempt to defend himself. The voice continued to speak in a language he didn't recognize. Frantically, he tugged at the Ring. As it came off his finger, the voice stopped, the Eye disappeared, and the room came back into focus. Frodo looked around hastily, trying to make sure no one had noticed. Everything seemed to be normal. He sighed with relief.

A hand grasped his shoulder.

Frodo looked up into Strider's face. "You draw far too much attention to yourself," the Ranger hissed. "Mr. Underhill."

With Rynna following soundlessly, Strider hauled Frodo up the stairs and shoved him into an empty room. "What do you want?" the hobbit asked frantically.

Rynna chuckled and leaned against the wall. She unfastened her broach and slung her cloak across a chair. Her hair was long and black, constrained in a thick braid.

"There'll be no more caution from you; that is no trinket you carry," Strider informed him, stalking across the room to extinguish the candles.

"I carry nothing," Frodo protested in a last-ditch attempt to conceal the Ring.

Rynna chuckled again, this time louder. "Indeed."

"I can avoid being seen when I wish, and Rynna even better than I," Strider snapped, throwing his hood back, "but to disappear entirely—that is a rare gift."

Frodo's eyes darted from Rynna to Strider and back. "Who are you?"

"Are you frightened?" Rynna asked.

"Yes."

Strider smirked humorlessly. "Not nearly frightened enough. We know what hunts you."

Rynna nodded sharply. "Only too well."

Strider took two long steps towards Frodo.

The door burst open suddenly. Strider and Rynna spun around, swords drawn and ready. Merry, Pippin, and Sam stood on the threshold, each looking terrified, but prepared to fight the two obviously experienced warriors. "Let him go!" cried Sam. "Or I'll have you, Longshanks!"

"Of course I don't matter at all," Rynna teased, sheathing her sword fluidly.

Strider smiled faintly. "You have a stout heart, little hobbit." He, too, put his weapon away. "But that will not save you. You can no longer afford to wait for the wizard, Frodo. They're coming."

Rynna's head shot up. "No," she said clearly.

They all turned and looked at her. "What?" Pippin said confusedly.

"Shapeshifter's gift," Strider explained. "What is it, Rynna?"

"They're not coming," she repeated, turning her head slowly to look out the window. "They're here."

The Riders pounded through the gate, down the streets, toward where they knew the halfling was. They would get him, oh, they would get him, and all his friends...

The raced into the inn, into the hobbits' room. Four wraiths stood before four beds, swords raised. They plunged the blades down, again and again, then reached out to find the Ring among one halfling's bloodied body.

And they found feathers.

Shrieks of rage split the air.

Merry, Pippin, and Sam sat up, wide awake, to find Frodo staring at Strider and Rynna. The Ranger sat in a chair, holding his sword loosely as he peered out the window. At first, none of them could see Rynna, but Sam noticed the big black wolf lying beside the fire. Rynna turned her yellow gaze to him and shifted back to human shape.

"What are they?" Frodo asked.

Strider turned and looked at him. Another scream came form across the courtyard. "They were once men. Great kings of men."

"Long ago," Rynna put in.

"Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling to darkness. Now they are slaves to his will."

"They are the Nazgûl," Rynna said, taking over. "Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times, they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you, not until you are dead, or the Ring is no longer in your possession."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

"Where are you taking us?" Frodo asked.

"Into the Wild," was the curt reply. The stoic Ranger rarely gave long responses.

"How do we know these two are friends of Gandalf's?" Merry asked sullenly.

Frodo fixed his eyes resolutely on the warriors ahead of him. "We have no choice but to trust him."

Merry sighed irritably.

"But where is he leading us?" Sam wanted to know.

"To Rivendell," Rynna replied happily. "To the House of Elrond."

Sam gasped. "Did you hear that? Rivendell! We're going to see the elves!"

*          *          *

Frodo watched in amazement as Rynna became a hawk and flew away, to scout ahead of them. Strider watched her go, then turned back to regard the hobbits. "Gentlemen," he called, surprise brushing his voice. "We do not stop till nightfall."

"But what about breakfast?" asked Pippin, stunned.

"You've already had it."

"We've had one; yes. What about second breakfast?"

Strider kept walking.

"I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip," Merry told his friend.

"What about elevensies?" Pippin asked frantically. "Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?"

"I wouldn't count on it."

An apple flew from over the hedge. Merry caught it neatly, passing it on to Pippin, who stared in disbelief after the Ranger. No second breakfast!

Another apple came flying in and struck his head. He peered up at the sky, bewildered.

"Pippin!" Merry called irritably.

*          *          *

Sam came stumbling over the hill, leading Bill the pony, just in time to hear Strider say, "We shall rest here tonight."

The hobbits collapsed on the ancient watchtower, exhausted. Rynna and Strider, looking none the worse for wear, looked out over the land, perfectly calm.

Strider turned suddenly and pulled four short swords out of his pack. "These are for you," he said, tossing them to the hobbits. "Keep them close. Rynna and I are going to have a look around. Stay here."

"And stay out of trouble," Rynna added before jumping from the tower, shifting to bird shape just before she hit the ground.

*          *          *

Frodo awoke later from a lovely dream in which he'd been back home at Bag-End with Bilbo, who was telling him all about his latest adventures. He could hear someone talking—it sounded like Merry.

"D'you want a tomato, Sam?"

Frodo sat blot upright. Sam, Merry, and Pippin were gathered around a fire! "What are you doing?!" he cried out in horror.

A smiling Merry replied. "Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon."

"We saved some for you, Mr. Frodo," Sam added, offering him a plate.

Frodo scrambled to his feet. "Put it out, you fools, put it out!" He stamped hard on the blaze.

"Ah, that's nice!" Pippin snapped. "Ash on my tomatoes!"

And then they heard a scream—the scream of a Ringwraith. All four hobbits ran to the edge of the watchtower; all four saw five wraiths come out of the mist. "Go!" Frodo cried, drawing his sword.

They ran to the center of the tower, forming a circle. The Nazgûl advanced on them, broadswords extended.

"Back, you devils!" Sam cried. He thrust forward, but the wraith defeated his attack within seconds and threw him against a pillar.

Merry and Pippin came together in front of Frodo, but a Nazgûl reached out its gauntleted hand and thrust them aside. Frodo's sword fell from his nerveless grasp. He stumbled back, falling to the ground. The Ring was calling to him again. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it.

The Ringwraiths turned their heads in the direction of the Ring. One drew a long, slender dagger from its robes and walked slowly towards him. Frodo scrambled back, clutching the thin metal band. He hit a rock; nowhere left to go. As the wraith reached for him, Frodo thrust the Ring onto his finger.

The wraiths weren't wraiths anymore; they were twisted parodies of men, evil ghosts. The Ring stretched towards them, against his will. "No!" he cried. "No!"

With a tremendous effort, he pulled his hand back. The wraith drove the knife into his shoulder. Frodo screamed in agony, but through his pain he heard another scream.

A hawk-like scream.

Rynna dove out of the sky, burying her talons in the Nazgûl's arm. As he fell to the ground, she shifted back to human shape and drew her sword, lunging after another one. Strider, holding his sword in one hand and a torch in the other, leapt down behind her.

"Frodo!" Sam shouted. He ducked under Strider's swinging sword to Frodo's side.

"Sam?" Frodo gasped.

Strider and Rynna fought well together, their movements complementing each other perfectly. Rynna scooped up a stick from the ground and stuck it into a wraith that had been lit on fire by the Ranger. She struck one of them over the head with the flaming brand, watching impassively as it burned.

Strider threw his torch into the hood of the last Ringwraith. It fled, shrieking. Rynna shifted to owl shape and flew after them, making sure that they would stay away.

"Strider!" Sam cried. The Ranger hurried over, took one look at Frodo, and picked up the discarded dagger. "Help him, Strider," Sam pleaded.

"He's been stabbed by a morgul blade," Strider said shortly as the blade turned to steam. He threw the hilt down as Rynna circled back in, landing as a human beside him. "This is beyond my skill to heal," he continued. "He needs elvish medicine."

*          *          *

They ran through the forest, Strider carrying a torch with his right hand and supporting Frodo, slung over his shoulder, with his left. Rynna led the way, holding both sword and torch.

"Hurry!" Strider called back to the hobbits.

"We're six days from Rivendell!" Sam protested. "He'll never make it."

"He will!" Rynna said fiercely.

"Gandalf," Frodo whispered.

"Hold on, Frodo," Strider murmured.

"Gandalf!"

*          *          *

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam put a hand to his master's cheek. "He's goin' cold!"

"Is he going to die?" Pippin asked.

Rynna turned and looked at them. Strider stared off into the wood. "He's passing into the shadow world," she explained. "He'll soon become a wraith like them."

A scream floated through the night.

"They're close," Merry muttered.

"Sam," Strider called. "Do you know the athelas plant?"

"Athelas?" the gardener repeated.

"King's foil."

"King's foil! Aye, it's a weed."

"It may help to slow the poison. Hurry! Guard them, Rynna."

Strider found the plant first. He drove his torch into the ground before drawing a knife and cutting a bit off. But before he could rise, he felt the icy edge of a sword slide across his throat.

A soft melodic voice—a voice he knew very well—spoke. "What's this, a Ranger, caught off his guard?"

*          *          *

Frodo turned in his daze and saw someone riding towards him. She seemed to be shrouded in light. As she slid from her stallion's back, Rynna stepped forward. The two women embraced, and Rynna pointed to him.

"Frodo," the newcomer, a stunningly beautiful elf-woman, said softly. "Een Arwen, teleen leth ide. Lasto beth nin, tolo da na ngalad." ("I am Arwen, I'm here to help. Hear my voice, come back to the light.").

Frodo looked away, his breathing harsh and shallow.

"Frodo!" Arwen said again, kneeling beside him.

"Who is she?" Merry asked.

"He's fading," Arwen told Strider, who was applying the athelas, though it now seemed that nothing could help Frodo.

"She's an elf," Sam murmured.

"He's not going to last," Arwen continued. "We must get him to my father's."

Rynna scooped the halfling up. Arwen and Strider followed her to Arwen's horse. "Where are you taking him?" Pippin asked.

"I've been looking for you for two days," Arwen said, still ignoring the hobbits. "There are five wraiths behind you. Where the other four are, I do not know."

Rynna set Frodo on the horse's back. Strider stepped up to the animal's side. "Dartho guin berian. Rych le ad tolthothon," he told the women. ("Stay with the hobbits. I'll send horses for you.")

"Hon mabathon. Rohan ellint im," Arwen retorted. ("I'm the faster rider. I'll take him.")

"Han dello i ben," Strider protested. ("The way is too dangerous.")

"What're they sayin'?" Pippin asked, very confused.

"Frodo fir. Ai afrodon i hir, tor gwithe nin beriathahon," Arwen continued. ("Frodo's dying. If I can get across the river, the power of my people will protect him.") "I do not fear them."

(Author's note: I don't know how to say this in elvish, so pretend it is.) "Let her go, Aragorn," Rynna put in, using the same language. "On Asfaloth here, she can get there even faster than me." She grinned at Arwen, who smiled back.

Strider nodded. "Min Alskling." ("My love" in Danish.)

Arwen hopped up onto Asfaloth's back, settling Frodo more comfortably. "Arwen," Strider added. "Ride hard. Don't look back."

"Go well, my friend," Rynna whispered.

Arwen nodded. "Naro lim, Asfaloth. Naro lim," she muttered. ("Ride fast, Asfaloth. Ride fast.")

She galloped away.

"What are you doing?" Sam cried. "Those wraiths are still out there!"

Rynna slapped a hand over his mouth. "So don't attract their attention by shouting," she hissed, watching Strider. He stared after Arwen, silent as death.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See chapter1

Note: Yes, I realize that there has been a little bit of a time skip, but Rynna's not in that part, and I've done more than enough typing. My wrists hurt.

"His strength returns," Elrond murmured, watching Frodo from his window.

"That wound will never fully heal," Gandalf replied. "He will carry it the rest of his life."

"And yet to have come so far still bearing the Ring the hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil."

"It is a burden he should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Frodo."

The elf-lord sighed and turned around. "Gandalf, the Enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the East, his Eye is fixed on Rivendell. And Saruman, you tell me, has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin."

Gandalf looked up. "His treachery runs deeper than you know. I've found Saruman has crossed orcs with goblin men; he's breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard—an army that can move in sunlight and cover great distance at speed."

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the elves," Elrond protested. "We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard!" The wizard looked away, walking slowly to the balcony. In that moment he seemed very old, and very tired. "Gandalf. The Ring cannot stay here."

Gandalf looked out to the gates of Rivendell. A man—Gandalf recognized him as Boromir son of Denethor of Gondor—rode through one set, glancing around the elven city.

At another, an elf—Prince Legolas Greenleaf son of Thranduil of Mirkwood—galloped in, leaping easily off his mount. He looked around, then took two quick steps toward the shapeshifter running to meet him. Gandalf smiled wryly as Legolas threw his arms around Rynna and gave her a most enthusiastic kiss that she returned with equal fervor. He didn't know the elf-prince very well, but he knew Rynna, and he'd heard several months ago of their marriage.

And lastly, a group of dwarves came tramping up, not bothering to view the impressive scenery. Gimli son of Gloin led the party.

"The time of the elves is over," Elrond continued. "My people are leaving these shores. Who will you look to when we've gone? The dwarves? They hide in their mountains, seeking riches, they care nothing for the troubles of others."

Gandalf raised his head. "It is in men that we must place our hope."

"Men," Elrond said scornfully. "Men are weak. The race of men is failing. The blood of Númenor is all but spent. It is because of men the Ring survives. I was there, Gandalf. I was there three thousand years ago. And Isildur took the Ring. I was there the Day the strength of men failed."

"Isildur! Follow me."

"I led Isildur into the heart of Mount Doom, where the Ring was made, the one place it could be destroyed."

"Cast it into the fire! Destroy it!"

"No."

"Isildur!"

"It should have ended that day, but evil was allowed to endure. Isildur kept the Ring. The line of Kings is broken. There's no strength left in the world of men. They're scattered, divided, leaderless."

"There is one who could unite them," the wizard broke in. "One who could reclaim the throne of Gondor."

Elrond shook his head slightly. "He turned from that path long ago. He has chosen exile."

Note: I'm sure you don't need to here more scenes that you can go down to the movie theatres and watch—complete with sound effects, which I only do well in person—so I'm going to skip a bit. Welcome to the Council of Elrond!

"Strangers from distant lands," Elrond called out to the assembled peoples of various races, "friends of old, you've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the edge of destruction. None can escape it. You will untie or you will fall. Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

The hobbit stood and placed the Ring on a stone pedestal in the center of the circle. Murmurs floated around the Council. "The doom of men," he heard someone say.

Boromir shook his head. "It is a gift," he corrected as he stood and began to pace about the circle. "Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. Through the blood of our people are your lands kept safe." Strider leaned back in his chair, looking quite irritated. "Give Gondor the weapon of the Enemy! Let us use it against him!"

"You cannot wield it!" Strider finally interjected. "None of us can! The One Ring answers Sauron alone. It has no other master!"

Boromir turned to him, a scornful expression crossing his impassioned features. "And what would a Ranger know of this matter?" he asked.

Legolas stood. "This is no mere Ranger," he announced.

"Though no Ranger should be thrown aside in such a manner," Rynna put in, rising to stand next to her husband.

"He is Aragorn," Legolas continued. "Son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

"Aragorn?" Boromir repeated incredulously, looking Strider up and down. "This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas snapped.

"Havo dad, Legolas," Aragorn commanded. ("Sit down, Legolas.") "And you, Rynna."

Boromir recovered his composure and turned his scornful glare onto Legolas and Rynna, who returned to their seats as the king had ordered. "Gondor has no king," he told them. "Gondor needs no king." He sat heavily.

"Aragorn is right," Gandalf said loudly. "We cannot use it."

"You have only one choice," Elrond announced, rising once more. "The Ring must be destroyed."

Boromir shook his head.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gimli growled. He lifted his axe and stepped forward. With a roar, he slammed it onto the Ring.

The stunned dwarf flew back, metal splinters falling around him.

The Ring stood as it always had, though it seemed to everyone present that a voice could be heard whispering something in the foul tongue of Mordor.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into the heart of Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. On of you must do this."

Total silence fell.

Boromir spoke again. "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly."

Legolas had apparently had enough of the arrogant Gondorian. He leapt up, crying, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli asked rudely.

"When did he say that?" Rynna snapped.

"And if we fail, what then?" Boromir's voice grew in volume. "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

Gimli stood firmly. "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" he announced, causing every elf present not already standing to leap to his feet in anger, protesting violently. "No one trusts an elf!" he continued, spittle flying.

"Better an elf than a dwarf!" Rynna told him.

Soon everyone was standing and shouting.

Frodo sat watching them, listening to the voice of the Ring.

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul!

All the warring emotions within him came to a head. "I will take it!" he cried. No one listened. "I will take it!"

"Shut up,  all of you!" Rynna shouted.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor," Frodo repeated. "Though—I do not know the way."

"Then I'll be there to guide you," the shapeshifter told him. "Every step of the way."

"And I will help you bear his burden, Frodo Baggins," Gandalf promised. "As long as it is yours to bear."

Aragorn stood tall. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will," he swore, then crossed the circle to kneel before the halfling. "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," Legolas volunteered.

"And my axe." Gimli, of course.

To Rynna's obvious surprise (and, perhaps, annoyance), Boromir stepped forth as well. "You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

"Here!" Sam cried, running out of the bushes to stand beside Frodo. "Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me."

"No," Elrond agreed. "Indeed, it seems hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

Rynna's smile didn't quite fit under the hand she used to hide it.

"Hey!" came a shout from the left. "We're coming too!" Merry insisted as he and Pippin ran down the stairs to join the other hobbits. "You'll have to send us home tied up in a stack to stop us!"

"Anyway," Pippin continued, "you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission. Quest. Thing!"

Gandalf and Elrond exchanged incredulous looks.

"Well," Merry muttered to his cousin, "that rules you out, Pip."

Pippin nodded, then did a double take and glared at Merry.

Elrond looked them all over. "Ten companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

"Right!" Pippin said happily. "Where are we going?"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: On chapter 1. It STILL applies

"I'm glad you're coming on this particular venture," Rynna told Legolas. "The last one got boring without you."

"Boring?" the elf said skeptically. "Fleeing Ringwraiths got boring?"

"Well...perhaps not boring. Let's just say I missed you. A lot."

Legolas stopped walking and took her in his arms. "I missed you too," he murmured into her hair. "I told you when we last parted that if you didn't come back to me, I'd come after you."

"I'm very glad you did."

*            *            *

"Two, one, five!" Boromir half-shouted. He was drilling Merry and Pippin in the proper usage of the swords Aragorn had given them. "Good! Very good." He turned to the other hobbit. "Two, one, five!"

"Move your feet!" Aragorn, smoking comfortably on a rock, advised.

"Got good Pippin," Merry told him.

"Thanks," Pippin replied brightly.

"Faster! Two, one, five!"

Rynna, sitting on a tall rock, sharpening a knife, chuckled. "Merry, don't hold your hand in so much! Throw it out for balance."

Gimli growled in the back of his throat. "If anyone was asking my opinion, which I know they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way round! Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."

Rynna shuddered. "No, Gimli," the wizard replied. "I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

Rynna peered into the distance. "Legolas," she called. The elf ran over. "What do you see there?" She pointed to a gray cloud.

Boromir's sword slid down Merry's, cutting the halfling's thumb. "Ow!" he cried.

"Sorry!" Boromir tried to apologize. Merry kicked him in the shins.

Soon the warrior of Gondor found himself mobbed by two angry hobbits. Aragorn laughed at him.

"What is that?" Sam asked, meaning the cloud.

"Nothing," Gimli said gruffly. "It's just a wisp of cloud."

"It's moving fast," Boromir observed, standing up. "And against the wind."

Rynna turned calmly to Legolas, trusting in the elf's keen eyes. "Legolas?"

"Crebaín, from Dunland!" he cried.

"Hide!" Aragorn yelled.

"Merry! Pippin! Go!" Boromir pushed the hobbits under some bushes.

Rynna leapt off her rock, shoving the knife back into her boot. Aragorn scooped up his sword, shouting at Frodo to "take cover!" The Ranger himself dove under some sheltering rocks. Gandalf ducked behind several towering stones, and most of the Fellowship hid amongst the underbrush.

The rocks were as quiet as if the Company had never been there for a moment—and then the crebaín came.

Large black crows, setting up a fearful ruckus, they flew swiftly over the rocky outcropping. As quickly as they'd arrived, they were gone. The ten friends came out of hiding.

"Spies of Saruman," Gandalf muttered. "The passage south is being watched. We must take the path of Caradhras."

The Company looked up towards the huge, snow-covered mountain. No one complained, but they all knew what everyone else was thinking.

*            *            *

(Note: Yes, there's a little skip here, but you know how these things go. Yes, I can still recite these skipped scenes. Yes, I realize I'm cutting out all the parts where Saruman talks, but who wants to listen to him talk?)

The Fellowship trudged through the snow, up to their shoulders, if they were human, and if not...well, Aragorn carried Frodo and Sam, as Boromir held Merry and Pippin. Gimli's helmet could barely be seen over the drifts. Gandalf and Rynna took turns leading the way, the wizard blazing a trail with his staff and the shapeshifter plowing her way through in snow leopard form. Now it was Gandalf's turn. Rynna padded behind him, a black wolf. Legolas walked calmly beside them all, on top of the drift, as if the snow were rock.

The elf trotted ahead of Gandalf, ignoring Gimli's glare. He cocked his head, leaning into the wind. "There is a fell voice on the air!"

Now that he mentioned it, they could all hear it.

"It's Saruman!" cried Gandalf.

A lightning bolt shot out of the sky, sending rocks showering down on them. "He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn shouted. "Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No!" Gandalf pulled himself up beside Legolas on top of the snow. He began to shout in a foreign language, but Saruman's voice persisted. Another bolt came down, this time bringing with it an avalanche of snow. Legolas grabbed Gandalf's arm, tugging him away from the edge, before they were all buried.

Everything was still.

Then Legolas' head popped out of the snow, looking decidedly annoyed. Rynna, still a wolf, thrust nose out, pawing her way up. Soon everyone was unearthed, or rather, unsnowed.

"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir insisted. "Make for the Gap of Rohan—or take the west rode to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us to close to Isengard!" Aragorn protested.

"If we cannot pass over the mountain," Gimli growled, "let us go under go under it! Let us go through the Mines of Moria."

Moria, a voice seemed to whisper to Gandalf. You fear to go into those Mines. The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm—shadow and flame.

"Let the Ringbearer decide," he said hoarsely. "Frodo?"

The hobbit looked to Sam, then back to Gandalf. "We will go through the Mines."

"So be it."

*            *            *

"The walls of Moria," breathed an awestruck Gimli.

The others ignored him, making straight for the door. Gandalf stepped up to it, running his hands over the carvings. "Ithildin," he murmured. "It mirrors only starlight and moonlight."

As if on cue, the clouds slipped away, revealing a full, round moon. Before their eyes, the carvings were illuminated with a pale star-like substance. Gandalf smiled. "It reads, 'The doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter'."

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked.

"It's quite simple," Gandalf replied confidently. "If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." He set his staff at the center and cried out in yet another tongue. Nothing happened. Gimli sighed.

"You never said you didn't know the password," Rynna accused.

"You never asked," the wizard retorted, and began trying password after password.

The Company seated themselves comfortably, preparing for a long wait. They were not disappointed. Finally, Aragorn moved to unburden Bill the pony. "The Mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill," he told Sam, who was petting the animal's nose fondly.

"Bye-bye, Bill," Sam muttered mournfully.

"Go on, Bill. Go on," Aragorn told the pony. "Don't worry, Sam. He knows the way home."

Merry and Pippin began throwing rocks into the huge pool in front of the doors. They had thrown at least three before Aragorn grasped Merry's arm and hissed, "Do not disturb the water."

Gandalf threw his staff to the ground, sat heavily on a rock, and pulled his hat off, glaring at the doors.

The ripples from Merry and Pippin's rock throwing began to come back, and with them, came an impending sense of dread.

"It's a riddle," Frodo said suddenly. "Speak friend and enter. What's the elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon," Gandalf replied.

The doors swung open.

Gimli pulled the pipe out of his mouth and hopped up. Legolas stepped down from the roots of the tree he'd been standing at, and Rynna jumped out of the branches. As all the Fellowship walked cautiously into the Mines, Gandalf produced a crystal from somewhere and set it in the top of his staff.

"Soon, Master Elf," Gimli told Legolas, "you shall enjoy the hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, molt beer, red meat off the bone."

Legolas and Rynna exchanged expressions of distaste. "A gellam," the elf whispered to her. "Torech i-negyth." ("Oh, joy. A dwarf-hole.")

"Gellam," Rynna agreed.

"This, my friend," Gimli continued, oblivious to their discussion, "is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"

"This is no mine," Boromir said softly. "It's a tomb."

And then they all noticed: rotting dwarven bodies, filled with arrows and grasping axes, lay about the chamber. Discarded weapons sat where their owners had dropped them, never to lift cold steel again.

"No," Gimli cried. "No! Noooo!" He began to cry, still shouting protests.

 Legolas knelt beside one body and pulled out an arrow, glancing at the tip. "Goblins," he informed the rest, whipping out an arrow of his own and setting it to the string. Rynna, Aragorn, and Boromir all drew their swords.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan," Boromir said firmly. "We should never have come here. Now get out of here, get out!"

Frodo gave a cry and fell to the ground, dragged toward the pool by a tentacle wrapped around his ankle. "Strider!" cried Sam, at the same time as Pippin shouted, "Rynna!"

Both turned and ran for the hobbits, who managed to get the thing off Frodo's ankle. It disappeared into the water, but then many more emerged, knocking the other three away as one twinned around Frodo's waist and lifted him high into the air. Legolas fired off an arrow, striking the writhing tentacle head-on. It appeared not to notice.

Rynna, as a hawk, flew towards Frodo, shrieking and clawing. Another tentacle slapped her away, towards the wall. She shifted to human shape, else her small mass send her crashing into the rock. Instead, a tentacle caught her and bound her right arm to her side.

The head of the monster emerged, opening wide its gaping mouth to swallow Frodo whole, Rynna apparently being on hold.

Boromir and Aragorn, stood knee-deep in water and hacking at tentacles. Aragorn sliced clean through the one holding Frodo captive. Boromir caught the halfling as he fell.

Rynna had drawn her knife and was stabbing and slicing at the creature left-handed as if her life depended on it—which it probably did. It finally let her go. She fell into the water and came up sputtering.

"Into the Mines!" Gandalf cried.

"Legolas!" Boromir shouted as he and Aragorn emerged from the water, Rynna close behind.

The elf took aim and shot again, striking the creature in the face. It roared in pain, falling backwards. Legolas hurried forward to help Rynna up before all ten raced into the caves, the monster in the water bringing the entrance down behind them. They stood in silence, breathing heavily, for a moment. Then Gandalf spoke. "We now have but one choice." He rapped the end of his staff on the ground, and the crystal lit up. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world. Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Must I do this every time? I only own Rynna!

Gandalf stopped suddenly at a three-way intersection, peering around. "I have no memory of this place," he announced.

A half-hour later, they were still sitting spread out across the rocks. Aragorn and Boromir sat next to each other, smoking. Merry, Sam, and Pippin leaned up against a lower rock, smoking. Gimli stood near Legolas and Rynna, smoking. Gandalf sat above them all, facing away, and smoking. Frodo was off by himself. Legolas was perched near Merry and Pippin, and Rynna was leaning her head on his shoulder, sound asleep.

"Are we lost?" Pippin asked Merry.

"No."

"I think we are."

"Shh! Who does the thinkin'?"

"Merry!"

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

Frodo saw something scuttle amongst the lower levels out of the corner of his eye. He hurried to Gandalf. "There's something down there!"

"It's Gollum," the wizard replied.

"Gollum?"

"He's been following us for three days."

Frodo was shocked. "He escaped the dungeons of Barad-dûr!"

"Escaped...or was set loose." Both turned and looked in the direction they had last seen Gollum. "He hates and loves the Ring—as he hates and loves himself. He will never be rid of his need for it."

Frodo shuddered. "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance."

"Pity?" Their eyes met. "It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."

Frodo sat beside Gandalf with a sigh. "I wish the Ring had never come to me," he said sorrowfully. "I wish none of this had happened."

"So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought." He looked up suddenly. "Ah! It's that way."

Legolas shook Rynna awake. "Are we moving again?" she asked sleepily.

"He's remembered!" cried Merry delightedly, pulling his pipe out of his mouth.

"No," the wizard replied, leading them down the proper tunnel. "But the air doesn't smell as foul down here. When in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

The tunnel led them to a grand hall, where Gandalf lifted his staff and proclaimed, "Behold the ancient realm and dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."

"There's an eye-opener and no mistake," breathed Sam in amazement.

They had traveled about halfway across the majestic city when Gimli gave a sharp cry and ran through an open door. "Gimli!" Gandalf called after him, but the dwarf paid no heed.

When the Fellowship entered the chamber, they found him, head bowed, before a great stone coffin. He was weeping.

"'Here lies Balin'," Gandalf read. "'Son of Fundin, Lord of Moria'. He is dead then. It's as I feared."

Gimli sobbed loudly.

Gandalf handed his staff and hat to Pippin before lifting a battered tome. He opened it and flipped through the pages.

"We must move on," Legolas whispered to Rynna and Aragorn. "We cannot linger."

Boromir put a comforting hand on Gimli's shoulder as Gandalf began to read. "'They have taken the Bridge and the second hall. We have barred the Gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums...drums in the deep.'" He looked around at them all and turned the page. "'We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming!'"

At that moment, there was a huge crash from the well Pippin was standing by. He has twisted the cobweb-enshrouded arrow sticking out of the figure, and its helm had fallen. As he spun around, guilty faced, to meet the frightened glares of his companions, the rest of the long-dead creature, and the chain and weight attached to it, all fell, creating a tremendous racket that echoed all around them. They stood in silence for a moment, hardly daring to breathe. At last Boromir gave a sigh of relief, and Rynna grinned.

Gandalf slammed the book shut. "Fool of a Took!" he snapped, taking back his hat and staff. "Throw yourself down next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

Boom.

The smile was wiped off Rynna's face in an instant. They all froze again, hoping that they had imagined it.

Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom boom boom. Boom.

"Frodo!" Sam whispered, pointing to Sting.

Frodo half-drew the blade.

It was glowing.

Shrieks began to echo through the halls, an eerie accompaniment to the sound of the drums.

"Orcs!" cried Legolas.

"Shit!" cursed Rynna. (Note: Yes, I realize that 'shit' is not likely to be used in Middle-Earth, but if you can supply me with a more likely cuss word, I'd love to hear it. And not 'damn'. When about to be attacked by an army of orcs/goblins, 'damn' is far too mild.)

Boromir ran to the door and stuck his head out. He jerked it back sharply as two arrows thudded into the wood. Aragorn ran forward and together, the two men slammed the doors shut. "They have a cave-troll," Boromir announced dryly.

"How the hell can this day get any worse?" Rynna asked rhetorically as she tossed them an axe to bar the door with. (Note: I KNOW RYNNA HAS A MODERN FOUL MOUTH! GET OVER IT!)

She ran back several paces, letting Legolas throw them another axe, and pulling out her small bow. "Get back!" she told the hobbits. "Stay close to Gandalf!"

Said wizard drew his sword Glamdring with a metallic shhffith and a growl, almost like one Gimli would make. The four hobbits, though fearful, hefted their own swords.

Gimli took another axe from one of his dead kindred and hopped up on Balin's tomb, roaring, "Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

Legolas, Aragorn, and Rynna stood with arrows trained on the door, which the orcs were beginning to break in. Boromir stood beside them, his sword in one hand and shield on the other. They waited until the first spear broke through. Legolas shot the bearer and whipped out another arrow.

The next kill went to Aragorn, then to Rynna, as they too fired through the hole created by the orcs.

Then they broke the door down.

The archers had time for one shot each before the battle was joined. Rynna and Aragorn whipped out their swords just in time to meet the charge. They fought like demons for seconds that felt like hours. Sam discarded his sword and brought forth an iron frying pan. He slammed two or three orcs over the head in quick succession. "I think I'm getting the hang of this!" he said shakily.

But the cave-troll broke in next. It almost slammed Sam into a pancake, but the halfling, screaming at the top of his lungs, dove between its legs and scrambled away.

Without flinching, Legolas fired an arrow into the beast's shoulder. It grunted, then roared as Gimli hurled on of his axes in beside the arrow. It slammed its club down on Balin's coffin, where Gimli had stood a moment before. The cave-troll went after him, hitting orcs as often as it tried for the dwarf, who managed to escape it unscathed.

Legolas stood on a higher level, his bow in one hand and a knife in the other. He ducked, spun, and stabbed with deadly accuracy. But the cave-troll went after him next, swinging its broken chain at him. He just barely dodged the chain.

"Legolas!" Rynna shouted, trying to come to his aid and attack the troll, but a knot of goblins got in her way.

They apparently, knew nothing about shapeshifters. With a howl, she flung herself into their midst, hacking and killing with abandon, frantic to break through.

The cave-troll, meanwhile, had managed to get its chain wrapped around a pillar. Legolas tested it lightly, then ran out across the taut chain onto the troll's head. It was an awful angle, but he managed to fire an arrow directly onto the thing's thick skull. It began to thrash wildly, waving its arms about its head, trying to shake off the troublesome elf. Legolas knew he was in over his head, and leapt off.

About that time, Rynna broke free of the orcs, leaving most of them dead. As the troll prepared to swat Legolas away, she sliced two-handed at its ankle. Instead of hitting the elf it smacked her. Rynna was half-prepared for the blow and managed to move away from most of it, but she was still thrown halfway across the chamber. She lay unmoving on the ground. Legolas ran after her, crying her name and shooting down any goblins that got in his way.

Merry, Pippin, and Frodo were next. The beast sniffled loudly, right next to the pillar that Frodo hid behind. Merry and Pippin scuttled up to a large rock, trying to hide. Frodo circled away, trying to elude the creature, which finally disappeared. He breathed a sigh of relief—

—and it howled in his face.

Frodo fell with a small cry. The cave-troll grabbed his ankle and began pulling him closer. "Aragorn!" Frodo cried. "Aragorn!"

The Ranger-king looked up. "Frodo!"

As the troll pulled him off the ledge, Frodo lashed out with Sting. The keen elf-blade sliced into the monster's wrist. It dropped him sharply, waving its hand about. Aragorn leapt in front of him, driving a long spear into the troll's chest. The troll dropped its club. They stood that way for a moment, then Aragorn was sent flying into a rock pile, knocked senseless by the cave-troll's flying hand.

Frodo ran over to him, shaking his arm and looking over his shoulder. The troll had taken up the spear and was preparing to thrust it at him. The hobbit ducked the blow, slashing out once more with Sting. The troll avoided the blow, trapping Frodo as it set the spear carefully in front of him, then shoving him back up against the wall. It pulled back and thrust forward, catching Frodo in the side.

Frodo fell slowly to the ground.

"Frodo!" cried Sam. He bashed an orc in the face, still using his pan, and ran to his master.

Merry and Pippin exchanged enraged glances, then jumped onto the cave-troll's head, stabbing downward with their blades and shouting like a pack of angry shapeshifters.

The troll waved its arms, finally catching Merry and dropping him. Legolas ran up, drawing his bow back and waiting for the right moment. Finally the cave-troll threw its head back. Legolas released the arrow, which sped true to, straight to the thing's neck.

The cave-troll stood there for a moment, swaying, then pitched forwards, falling to the ground stone dead. Pippin slid across the floor.

They stood in silence for a moment, staring at the creature. Legolas moved first. He turned and ran back to Rynna, letting her lean on him as they all hurried to Frodo.

Aragorn had crawled over to him. "Oh, no," he murmured, and rolled the halfling's unmoving body over.

Frodo sat up and coughed, pressing a hand to his side. Sam's eyes widened visibly. "He's alive," he announced with relief.

Gandalf sighed and smiled.

"You should be dead," Aragorn told Frodo, shocked. "That spear would have skewered a wild boar!"

Gandalf's smile became a full-fledged grin. "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye."

Frodo peered down at his half-open shirt, which revealed a coat of finely crafted links.

"Mithril," breathed Gimli. "You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."

The goblins began to shout and scream again, preparing to attack them once more. "And we need to get out of here," Rynna observed, pulling away from Legolas to stand on her own.

"To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!" Gandalf ordered.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Oh, go read chapter 1!

The Fellowship raced across Dwarrowdelf, oblivious to the noise of the soundtrack playing one of the author's favorite parts. The goblins were behind them, above them, coming up around them. Merry chanced a glance back and stumbled. Rynna caught him and hauled him upright. "Don't look back!" she told him. "Don't stop running, and don't look back!"

There were too many of them, swarming everywhere. They closed the distance before the Company, forcing them to circle up and prepare to meet their deaths as the vast horde closed in.

They stood that way for a moment, the light from Gandalf's staff illuminating a short distance around them, before they heard a rumbling noise, as if from far away. The goblins looked about and scattered, disappearing into their holes and tunnels as if they had never been. Gimli laughed triumphantly, but the others were more cautious.

"This is either very, very good, or very, very bad," Rynna said. The rumbling came closer, and she added, "I think it's that last one."

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked Gandalf.

The wizard looked up slowly, leaning heavily on his staff. "A balrog," he said slowly. "A demon of the ancient world." An orange light began to advance on them from the hall. "This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!"

They ran. As they did, Rynna could be heard to shout, "Why didn't you tell us to run before the thing was right behind us, Gandalf?!"

"Save your breath for running!" he retorted.

"We'll talk about this later," she promised as she passed him.

Boromir pulled ahead, but he lost his balance at the edge of a staircase. He would have fallen to his doom in the fiery pits had Legolas not caught him and dragged him back.

"Gandalf..." Aragorn whispered to the wizard.

The old man grasped his shoulder. "Lead them on, Aragorn. The bridge is near." The Ranger looked to the stone structure, then back to Gandalf. "Do as I say! Swords are of no more use here!"

They ran on, down the many stairways, until they came to a wide break, where they came to a skittering halt. Legolas sized the jump up and made it easily, then turned around, ready to catch the next person. Rynna leaped across fearlessly. She didn't even need Legolas to catch her, though he did steady her a bit.

Gandalf hesitated. Legolas beckoned to him. "Gandalf!"

The wizard heard the balrog coming. He glanced back, then threw himself forward. Legolas caught him.

An arrow bounced off the stair below Sam. He jumped back as Legolas turned and fired at the orc archers, across a broad canyon. His first arrow took one in the forehead. He fell screeching to his death.

"Merry! Pippin!" Boromir cried, grabbing the hobbits, one under each arm, as he jumped. The stone crumbled under him. Legolas steadied them on the other side as Aragorn, Frodo, Sam, and Gimli jumped back.

"Sam!" Aragorn tossed the hobbit across, where Rynna caught him (Legolas was busy shooting orcs).

He reached for Gimli, who held up a hand. "Nobody tosses a dwarf." He launched himself across the gap, then teetered on the edge. Legolas spun around and grabbed him by the most convenient hold. "Not the beard!" Gimli bawled.

Legolas ignored him, giving a perhaps over-enthusiastic tug on his beard to pull him away from the edge as the staircase he had jumped from began to sway.

Aragorn threw Frodo up the stairs as more rock began to crumble. They were separated from their companions by a gap of at least fifteen feet now. And as if that weren't enough, the staircase began to sway in earnest as a huge boulder smashed clean through the upper section. Aragorn grasped Frodo's shoulder. "Lean forward!"

The other members of the Fellowship waited on the edge of their seats. "Come on!" Legolas urged, and the upper staircase crashed into the lower. The soundtrack played more of the author's favorite music as the Company ran down the rest of the stairs and on towards the bridge of Khazad-dûm.

"Over the bridge!" ordered Gandalf, letting the others pass him. The balrog came soon after them, the heat from its fire blowing the old man's hair back. He followed his companions, all of whom had made it across the bridge. Now he stood in the center, facing the demon. "You cannot pass!" he shouted.

"Gandalf!" Frodo cried.

The wizard paid no heed. "I am the servant of a secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. Dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn!" The balrog produced a flaming sword and slammed it into Glamdring, which Gandalf had thrown up to block. "Turn back to the shadow!" The sword became a whip, which the balrog cracked over Gandalf's head. The old man raised his staff up. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" He slammed it onto the bridge.

The balrog growled and stepped forth, but the bridge cracked and he fell into the abyss.

Gandalf turned away, breathing heavily.

That was his undoing. The balrog snapped the whip again, catching Gandalf's ankle. Dropping both staff and sword, the wizard slid down, catching hold of the jagged stone. Frodo ran forward. Boromir caught him and held him back. "Gandalf!" the hobbit cried.

Rynna ducked under Boromir's arm and ran for Gandalf.

"Fly, you fools," he cried, and was gone.

As soon as he disappeared, Rynna reached the edge, a second too late. She screamed, a cry born of rage, grief and frustration, echoed by Frodo's "Noooooo!"

Boromir lifted the weeping hobbit as the rest of the Fellowship ran on. "Aragorn!" he shouted, for the Ranger still stood watching Rynna and the place where Gandalf had fallen. "Rynna!"

Aragorn turned slowly and ran. Rynna tore past him, blinded by tears. They ran out into the sun. All the hobbits cast themselves upon the ground and wept. Gimli tried to run back into the Mines, but was held back by Boromir. Legolas stared off into the distance, unable to believe that Gandalf was truly dead. He looked back at the Fellowship, and put his arms around Rynna, who had her head in her hands and was crying unashamedly.

Aragorn looked up from cleaning his sword. "Legolas," he called. "Get them up."

The elf turned towards him, shocked.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Boromir protested.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs!" he retorted. "We must reach the woods of Lothlórien. Come, Boromir, Legolas, Rynna, Gimli! Get them up!" He pulled Sam up and patted his shoulder. "On, your feet, Sam. Frodo? Frodo!"

The halfling was walking away. At Aragorn's call, he turned back, tears running down his face. Rynna elbowed Aragorn aside and ran up to him, kneeling before him. "Frodo, he died so we could live. Don't let that sacrifice be in vain." Frodo collapsed into her arms, sobbing. "I know, Frodo, I know," she whispered. "I'll miss him too."

They went on, never to forget the first of them to fall.

*          *          *

The wood was beautiful, even the grief-stricken comrades could see that, especially Legolas. Gimli, however, took a different approach than the elf, who looked about him in amazement.

"Stay close, young hobbits!" he whispered. "They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods, an elf-witch, of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell—"

~Frodo...~ Frodo thought he could hear a voice inside his head calling his name.

"—and are never seen again."

~Your coming to us is as the footsteps of doom. You bring great evil here, Ringbearer.~

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam sounded concerned.

"Well," Gimli continued, oblivious to his friend's confusion, "here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox—oh." An arrow was pointed at his nose.

All around the Company armed elves sprang up, pointing drawn bows at them all. Legolas held another at arrow-point, but three more were pointed at his back. He gave these and uneasy glance.

Aragorn held his hands up in a gesture of peace.

One elf stepped forward. "The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark," he said smugly.

Gimli growled.

"Haldir o Lórien." ("Haldir of Lórien.") Aragorn bowed. (Note: I don't entirely know this line in elvish, so don't go quoting this part from my story. See the movie again.) "Henyo nino, boyar menidulu rin." ("We come here in peace. We need your protection.")

"Aragorn!" Gimli cried. "These woods are perilous! We should go back!"

"You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood," Haldir informed them. "You cannot go back. Come. She is waiting." He spun on his heel and led them off.

*          *          *

The Fellowship stood at the foot of a short staircase. A pair of elves slowly stepped down to them, the rulers of Lothlórien. The light that shrouded them made them hard to look upon, they were so fair.

"Nine there are here," said the male elf, Celeborn by name, "yet ten there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him."

The elf-woman, Galadriel, closed her eyes, then opened them again. "He has fallen into shadow," she whispered. Aragorn nodded. "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife," she continued. "Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." Her deep blue eyes turned to Boromir, whose breath grew ragged. Sweat streaked his face. He looked away first. Galadriel turned away from him. "Yet hope remains—while the Company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace."

Overlapping the last words, Frodo heard the voice in his head again. ~Welcome, Frodo of the Shire. One who has seen the EYE!~


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Only Rynna's mine.

"A lament for Gandalf," Legolas murmured, tilting his head to better hear the melodious song that floated though the wood.

"What do they say about him?" Merry asked.

"I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near."

Legolas walked on to find Rynna. She was sitting on a fallen tree. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Manan elye etevanne/Nórie i melanelye?" came the song.

"'What drove you to leave/that which you loved?'" Rynna translated softly.

"Mithrandir, Mithrandir, A Randir Vithren/ú-reniathach i amar galen."

"'Mithrandir, Mithrandir, O Pilgrim Gray/no more will you wander the green fields of this earth.'"

"I reniad lín ne mór, nuithannen."

"'Your journey has ended in darkness.'"

"In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen."

"'The flame of Anor has left this world.'"

"Caled veleg, ethuiannen."

"'A great light, has gone out.'" Rynna's voice broke on the last syllable. Legolas sat next to her and put his arms around her. "I could have saved him, Legolas. If I'd just been a little bit fast, I could have saved him..."

Legolas cut her off. "There was nothing more you could have done. Perhaps it was his destiny to fall there, but there was nothing—nothing—more you could have done to save him. he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. Don't."

Rynna wiped her eyes in her wrist. "You're right. Crying about it won't bring him back. We'll just have to finish what he began."

Legolas kissed her. "You always recover so quickly."

"I don't have much of a choice."

*            *            *

(Note: Yes, an extra-big skip here, but do you really need me to recite the Boromir and Aragorn bit AND the Lurtz bit when the point of this story is so I can do the GOOD parts [i.e., anything with Rynna and/or Legolas]? I'm doing this part of the Galadriel's Mirror bit because it involves the character I'm interested in writing about.)

The Mirror...

Frodo sees Legolas turn his head and look at him. Rynna stands beside him, looking at something Frodo cannot see. The elf looks away, and the picture becomes Sam, who glances at Frodo and turns away, then Merry and Pippin, who do the same.

There is Hobbiton...

Now Hobbiton is in flames. Orcs ran through the streets, burning, looting, and killing. There is Merry—Merry is dead!

Sam walks in a slave line, chained to other hobbits. A whip cracks across his back.

Rynna guards Legolas' back as he shoots into a horde of orcs. There are too many for the shapeshifter to fight, and she falls dead to the ground. Legolas spins around and kneels beside her, crying out. The next instant he falls across her body, three crudely formed arrows sticking from his back.

Bad-End lies in ruins, the Shire in tatters...

The Eye appears...the Eye sees all...the Eye knows he is there...the Eye is ever watchful, as Boromir said...

"Farewell, Frodo Baggins. I give you the light of Eärendil—our most beloved star. Namárië." ("Farewell.")

So Galadriel had said when she gave him the Star-Glass, which Frodo now tucked into his pocket. From his place in the boat, he could see Galadriel lifting a hand in farewell. Yet again, he heard her voice speaking to him in his mind. ~May it be a light for you in dark places when all other lights go out.~

As they floated out on the Anduin, Aragorn told Rynna to scout out ahead of them. "I think I should look behind us," she replied. "I just have a feeling that there's something back there."

"We can outrun anything that's coming from that way. Go ahead."

With a sigh, Rynna shifted and flew away. Three times she reported back that day, three times she asked Aragorn to allow her to fly behind them, and three times she was refused. They past by the Argonath, and came to the falls of Rauros. There they beached the three boats and walked up onto the land. Rynna flew in to land on Legolas' wrist, still a hawk.

"We cross the lake at nightfall," Aragorn announced. "Hide the boats, and continue on foot."

"Oh yes?" Gimli asked. "Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emin Muil? An impossible labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks and after that, it gets even better! Festering stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see."

"That is our road," Aragorn replied coolly. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."

"Recover my—grrrrrrr."

Rynna hopped back to the ground, a human once more. Legolas walked over to Aragorn. "We should leave now," he advised.

"No. Orcs patrol the Eastern Shore, we must wait for cover of darkness."

Legolas shook his head. "It is not the Eastern Shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near. I can feel it."

Rynna came up. "Aragorn—it's coming. I know it is. Something is out there."

Gimli was still annoyed with Aragorn for mocking him. "Have no need to recover strength! Pay no heed to that, young hobbit," he added to Merry.

Merry looked around. "Where's Frodo?"

Everyone looked around. Rynna eyed the packs. "And where is Boromir?"

*            *            *

(Note: Another skip...and I'm not going to do the parts about Merry, Pippin, and Boromir/Aragorn vs. Lurtz. Sorry, no Rynna in those parts. Don't be surprised when they come, or rather, don't come.)

"Go, Frodo." Aragorn stepped back and drew his sword.

Frodo glanced down at Sting. The blade was glowing blue.

"Run," Aragorn told him. "Run!"

Frodo ran, and the Uruk-hai came forth to meet the king. Aragorn ran to the top of the stone structure Frodo had just fallen from.

"Find the halflings!" shouted the leader. "Find the halflings!"

"Elendil!" Aragorn yelled in reply, leaping down to strike another Uruk-hai. He got his sword up just in time to impale another.

Legolas, Rynna, and Gimli came running in. Each dove into the fray with enthusiasm. "Aragorn, go!" the elf cried.

Gimli growled as he deflected a sword blade and slammed his axe into the creature's stomach.

*            *            *

Frodo hid behind a tree as the Uruk-hai ran past. "Frodo!" Pippin called. "Hide here quick!"

Frodo shook his head.

"What's he doing?"

Merry looked at Frodo, who turned his head away. "He's leavin'."

"No!" cried Pippin, leaping up.

"Pippin!"

Merry jumped out to follow him, but Pippin grabbed his arm. More Uruk-hai were running down the hill. "Run, Frodo," Merry told him. "Go." He turned back to the monsters. "Hey, you! Over here!"

"Hey!" Pippin added. "This way!"

Frodo ran.

*            *            *

Legolas had his knives out and was whirling them in deadly circles, ducking and stabbing.

Gimli blocked a thrust that would have skewered Aragorn and drove the Uruk-hai back towards the trees.

Rynna ducked a blow aimed to take her head off and thrust forward with her sword, impaling the creature.

Aragorn was fighting hand-to-hand with one of the creatures, and its superior size and strength were giving it the advantage.

*            *            *

"It's working!" Pippin cried cheerfully.

"I know it's working!" Merry replied. "Run!"

*            *            *

Gimli was separated from his friends, falling away to the right. He was doing well, though, barely even working up a sweat.

Legolas had sheathed his knives again and was whipping arrows out almost faster than the eye could follow.

But things were going badly for Aragorn. The Uruk-hai had him up against a tree and was slowly strangling him, paying no heed to the Ranger's fists.

Legolas turned and shot the creature in the back.

Rynna slew the beast in front of her and paused, waiting for the next attack. It came from above as the Uruk-hai jumped from the stone pillars much as Aragorn had earlier in the fight. Rynna went down under its weight, dropping her sword and sliding forward. Her arms were pinned at her sides. She shifted frantically, wolf-leopard-snake-human, but the creature maintained its hold, slowly crushing her. It bit her left shoulder hard. She snarled back and snapped her head into its, crying out when flesh came away with its teeth.

Legolas heard the cry and spun about, firing off another arrow. Rynna shrugged the dead beast off her back and raising herself up onto her knees. She looked past Legolas and made a flicking motion with her wrists. Twin blades fell out of their hidden sheaths in her sleeves into her hands. She threw both blades simultaneously. They whizzed past Legolas and took the two Uruk-hai behind him in their throats.

"Now we're even," she told him as she retrieved her sword.

Legolas opened his mouth to reply, but a horn call shattered the air. All heads turned. "The Horn of Gondor," the elf identified.

"Boromir!" Aragorn added worriedly. He ran past Legolas into the masses of Uruk-hai.

*            *            *

The fight was over. Legolas, Rynna, and Gimli ran to find Aragorn and Boromir, fearing the worst.

The elf reached them first. When he saw them, he knew what was happening. Three black arrows stuck out of Boromir's chest, and Aragorn knelt beside him.

Rynna ran up beside him and stopped. Gimli came next, as Aragorn stood with finality. Boromir son of Denethor of Gondor was dead.

Two down, eight to go! thought the sadistic evil voice in the author's head. She gave that voice a good hard mental kick since she didn't want anyone else to die. The voice left, and everyone mourned for Boromir.

*            *            *

They set Boromir in one of the boats and sent it off over the Falls of Rauros. Rynna noticed Aragorn buckling on Boromir's gauntlets, emblazoned with the crest of Gondor. She knew what it meant, in a deeper way than that her friend had found a nice pair of armguards.

"Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern Shore!" Legolas stopped, leaving the boat he'd been pushing off to lay there as he looked at Aragorn. "You mean not to follow them." It was a statement, not a question.

"Frodo's fate," he replied, "is no longer in our hands."

The other three walked back from the lake, casting forlorn glances over their shoulders. "Then it has all been in vain," Gimli growled. "The Fellowship has failed."

Aragorn faced them. "Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death." They all stood a little taller. "Not while we have strength left." He turned away, picking up his knife where he'd left it. "Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let's hunt some orc." He sheathed the blade with a snap.

Gimli, Legolas, and Rynna smiled at each other, exchanging looks. Gimli gave a roar and charged off. "What's this?" Rynna teased. "An elf and a dwarf, becoming friends?"

"Stranger things have happened," Legolas replied.

Rynna looked back across the river, where Frodo and Sam traveled closer and closer to Mordor, the fate of all Middle-Earth resting in their hands. "I suppose they have."

They raced off to join the hunt as the soundtrack played the author's favorite part.

*            *            *

"Mordor," Frodo murmured, looking across the unfriendly land. "I hope the others find a safer road."

"Strider'll look after them," Sam replied confidently.

"I don't suppose we'll ever see them again."

"We may yet, Mr. Frodo. We may."

Frodo smiled. "Sam...I'm glad you're with me."

Sam smiled back, and they began the journey downwards.


End file.
